Safety device for wall beds



June 17, 1924. I 1,497,949-

N. SINCLAIR I SAFETY DEVICE FOR WALL BEDS Filed Oct. 30, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 17, 1924. 1,497,949

N. SINCLAIR SAFETY DEVICE FOR WALL BEDS Filed Oct. 30, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIHR Patented June 17, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NEIL-SINCLAIR, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO RIP VAN WINKLE WALL BED 00., OF QAKIT ANI), CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFGRNIA.

SAFETY nEvIoE ron WALL BEDS.

Application filed October 30, 1922/ Serial No. 597,804.

1' 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, NEIL SINCLAIR, a citizen of th United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements insafety Devices for W all Beds, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a safety device for-Welland similar beds of the type having a mattress'frame pivoted to anchorage means which is attached to the floor, a panel, thewall or a door, and in which spring means is employed to resist the downward movement of the bed from an up or out-of-the-way position.

In beds of this type the head piece extends in front of the wall, panel or door to which it is usually connected by a suitable clamp or other fastening device, the lower end of the head piece being attached rigidly to the anchorage means. Should the fastening means for securing the'head piece to the wall, door or panel, loosen, break or. become detached and the anchorage means break or become deranged, the head piece would fly over on top of the bed, due to the action of the springs, and serious injury might result to the occupants of the bed. Again where the bed is attached to a door, should the door break away from its fastenings, the head piece and the door would fall over on top of the'bed. My invention consists in the provision of means to prevent accidents of the character described in the event of such derangement or breakage of the bed or parts or upon collapse of the bed.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive safety device which, incident to the collapse, breakage or derangement of the bed and 00- operating parts, will lock and hold the head piece in such manner that the head piece will be prevented from falling onto the bed. i

The invention possesses other advantages and features some of which, with the foregoing will be set forth at length in the following description where I shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification. In said drawings I have shown one form of the construction of my invention, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form since the invention as expressed in the claims may embodiment of the invention.

F 1g. 1 represents a side elevation of one F 2 is'a front elevation of a head piece showing my invention as when applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section through the bed and head piece showing the device of my invention in operative position in dotted lines and in inoperative position in full lines.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bed showing my invention applied thereto. I

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the bed with the device of my invention shown. attached thereto and in a modified form.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 generally designates the mattress frame of a wall bed of the type horizontallypivoted to an anchorage means 2 (in this instance a door anchorage), and havin head piece 3 'su-pported and extending upwardly from the anchorage means. p 3

' This type of bed isv commonly installed as described with the head piecehaving connection with the door 4-, by means of suitable fastening devices I provide means which, should the anchorage and the fastenings 5 break, or become deranged, or the door loose from its fasten ing, will. automatically prevent the head piece from falling onto the bed.

One simple and practical embodiment of the invention comprises hook members 6 which are pivoted at the upper ends of their shanks to the horizontal cross piece or bar 7 of the head piece. The bills of the hooks are disposed below the plane of the angle iron end piece 8 of the mattress frame and sufficiently spaced inwardly of the latter to permit the mattress frame with bedding (not shown) thereon, to clear the hooks when the mattress frame is raised. Upon breaking or derangement of the fastenings 5 and the anchorage 2 such as would ordinarily permit the head piece to fall over and upon the mattress frame, or upon break;

as described.

ing loose of the door from its wall fastening, the hooks will swing forwardly as the head piece moves forwardly and will engage under the end piece 8 of the mattress frame after but a slight forward movement of the head piece and will thereby automatically arrest the movement of the head piece and maintain it in up position. In this way injury to the occupants or occupant of the bed will be prevented in the event of break ing or working loose of the bed anchorage,

The loosening and giving wayof the head piece fastening 5 and the loosening, breaking, or giving way of the anchorage connection with the door or floor, as the case may be, may be brought about from various causes. One cause for such loosening or derangement results from rough and improper handling of the bed when extended, which tends to loosen the fastening. Another cause results from installation of the bed where, in failure to follow the directions or carelessness, the anchorage connection and the fastening 5 are poorly or improperly set up. In beds of the type to which this invention is applicable, the springs, to resist the down movement of the bed, are so arranged that should the door give way or should the fastening 5 and anchorage give way, the head piece would be caused to snap forcibly onto the top of the bed, and while accidents of this nature are not common, they have occurred in instances where serious, if not fatal, injury to occupants of the bed has resulted.

As shown'in Figure 5, instead of having the means of my invention in the form of hooks which are adapted to swing free on the cross bar of the head piece and engage under one of the angle iron mattress frame pieces, I may provide similar hooks 10 which will be pivoted as at 11 and concealed with in recesses 12 provided in the anchorage means 13. In this instance the anchorage means 13 will be so constructed that by mounting the hooks 10 in the recesses 12, the bills 14 of the hooks will be in position to. cooperate withthe mattress frame 15. Attached to the mattress frame 15 are angular catch members 16 into engagement with which the bills 14 of the hooks will engage should the head piece fall forwardly. The hooks and catch means 16 are so arranged that the bed may be operated on its pivot without interference and that the'hooks will automatically engage the catch means. and

arrest movement of the head piece after but a slight movement of the latter.

I claim:

1. The combination with a bed having a mattress frame, an anchorageto which the mattress frame is pivoted, a head piece extending above the mattress frame, means for fastening themattress frame in upright position and means pivotally connected with the head piece and arranged to engage the mattress frame upon a forward movement of the head piece to prevent falling of the head piece onto the mattress frame and to maintain the head piece in an upright position in the event of breaking loose of the head piece from its fastening.

2. In a bed, a mattress frame, anchorage means to which the frame is pivoted, a head piece, anchorage means for the head piece, said head piece extending abovethe mattress frame when the latter is in position of use 'and hook members pivotally connected with the head piece and arranged to swing into positionto engage and arrestforward movement of the head piece to prevent the latter from falling onto the bed incident to an accident such as collapse of the vbed or loosening of the head piece from its anchorage.

3. In abed, a mattress frame, anchorage means to which the frame is pivoted, a head piece, anchorage means for the head piece, said head piece extending above the mattress frame when the latter is in position of use, hook members pivotally connected with the head piece and arranged to swing into position to engage and arrest forward movement of the head piece to prevent the letter from falling onto the bed incident to an accident such as collapse of the bed or loosen ing of the head piece from its anchorage and an angular member on the mattress frame with which said hook is adapted to engage.

4. In a bed, 'a' mattress frame, anchorage means to which the mattress frame is pivoted, a head piece extending above the mattress frame when the latter is in position of use, anchorage means for the head piece, means of connection between the mattress frame anchorage and head piece, which means is provided with a recess and a hook pivoted and concealed in the recess arranged to swing outwardly and engage the mattress frame to arrest forward movement of the head piece incident to breakage of the latter from its fastening or collapse of the bed.

NEIL SINCLAIR, 

